An Artistic Rendition of the original Mosque of the Prophet
Our beloved Master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) married several women at different times in obedience to the commandments of Allah the Almighty. All of his wives were righteous and pure women who have been given the title Ummahatul-Mu’minin, which means ‘the Mothers of the Believers.’ This title is based on the words of Allah the Almighty Who refers to them as ‘mothers’ in the Holy Quran. Today we will tell you about the life of Hazrat Ummul- Mu’minin Mariyah Qibtiyyah (ra). Before we begin, you should understand why Allah the Almighty gave the Holy Prophet (sas) permission to have several wives.
The main task of our beloved Master, the Holy Prophet (sas) was to teach people the religion of Islam. This is why a group of men, who are remembered as Ashabus-Suffah, would gather in Masjid-e-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet) all the time. Whenever the Holy Prophet (sas) was present in the mosque and said anything, the Ashabus-Suffah would memorise what he said. These men did not do anything worldly; instead, they sat in the Prophet’s mosque all the time and learned religion from the Holy Prophet (sas).
According to a saying of our beloved Master (sas), ‘Seeking knowledge is the duty of every Muslim man and woman.’ Learning about religion is the most important type of knowledge.
Although the men were able to learn the religion by sitting in the mosque, it was very difficult for the women to gain this knowledge. The Muslim women also wanted to learn about Islam from their beloved Master (sas), but they could not stay in the mosque all the time. They had to take care of their household and children. In order to meet this important need of Muslim women, Allah the Almighty allowed the Holy Prophet (sas) to marry several women. This was very helpful to women because the Holy Prophet (sas) would teach his wives the religion of Islam and then they would teach it to other Muslim women.
All the marriages of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) were helpful in creating a beautiful Islamic society and were also useful in spreading the message of Islam. Hazrat Mariyah Qibtiyyah (ra) was one of the beloved wives of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas), and a ‘Mother of the Believers’. Let us see what events led to her marriage with the Holy Prophet (sas).